บท 106: Chapter 106:
"The fourth shinobi world war is upon us..." Fuyōna said as his words echoed throughout the war chamber, causing everyone in the room to remain silent.
"War! It really has come to another war!" Someone finally spoke out, causing others to find the courage to speak their thoughts.
Mei could see the look on Fuyōna's face as he fell back into his chair, placing his head in his hand.
"Fuyōna, are you alright?" She asked, leaving the others to argue and shout among themselves.
"I don't understand... This wasn't supposed to happen yet." Fuyōna said to himself, not hearing Mei's words as she got closer.
"Fuyōna?" Mei asked again as she placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
Fuyōna looked up at Mei and placed his hand on hers, flashing a small smile at her to let her know he was alright.
He had, had enough of the arguing that was building between the others in the office and knew it was time to put a stop to it.
"That is enough!" He said, raising his voice ever so slightly, causing everyone in the room to quickly fall silent as he spoke.
Fuyōna looked around the room as it finally went silent, daring anyone else to speak over him, before he finally stood up.
"I understand the need for concern at the news... But now is not the time for panic. Now is the time for action." Fuyōna said, getting everyone's attention.
"I want our defenses placed on high alert, with increased patrols around our borders." Fuyōna suddenly said as he sprang into action.
"I want a detailed report of each and every squad who are currently out on missions, those who are not deemed to be urgent or critical are to be recalled for active duty." He said as he barked the orders out one after the other, taking command of the situation as a Kage should.
"You have your orders. Prepare for war" Fuyōna then said as he dismissed them, having nothing further to say.
"Mei, I need you to get a message sent to the Hokage right away. I need to see where the leaf will stand with this war." Fuyōna said quietly so only she could hear that part, knowing that the others didn't need to hear it.
"Right away." She said, not wasting any time as she dashed off to carry out his order.
"Kōgetsu," Fuyōna said, summoning him to his side.
"Yes sir?" Kōgetsu said as he appeared next to his side.
"Call Ao back from the front lines. We will need him for what is to come." Fuyōna said, dismissing him at once.
"Right away sir." He said not wasting another moment.
Fuyōna stood, watching as everyone slowly made their way out of the war chamber until only he and princess Mizuko were left in the room together.
"Fuyōna." She said, now that they were alone, knowing she could drop the titles.
"Mizuko." Fuyōna also said, doing the same.
"Are you ok?" She asked, sensing that he was stressed.
"As well as I can be with another war on the horizon." He said, being blunter than usual.
Mizuko brushed his bluntness off and smiled before she sat down on the desk, crossing her legs as she did for effect.
"What are you planning Fuyōna?" She suddenly asked, seeming as if she was trying to take him by surprise.
"What do you mean?" He asked, giving her a strange look.
"This isn't your first war now, is it? I'm asking what you are planning to do?" She said this time she was the blunt one.
"Honestly... I'm not sure yet." Fuyōna said as he lowered his head a little.
"This may not be my first war, but it is my first war as the Mizukage." He said, feeling the weight of his nation and village on his shoulders.
"I get that," Mizuko said as she suddenly hopped off of the table and walked over towards him.
"I understand your burden." She said as she placed her hands on his shoulders as she slowly used her nails to stroke his skin in a seductive way before she walked around him in a full circle, coming back to face him.
"Remember Fu. You saved my life all those years ago... If there is ever anything that you need, please let me know." She said as she let her hand run up his neck before he scratched his chin with her finger in a playful manner.
Fuyōna couldn't help but laugh at her gesture, and quickly grabber her hand as she tried to move it down to his chest.
"That's enough princess." He said with a serious tone.
Mizuko expected as much, simply pulled her hand away as she laughed it off.
"Always so serious, lord Mizukage." She said as she smiled at him while looking into his eyes.
"One of us has to be." He replied, getting a small nod from her.
"I do enjoy our little games." She said as she slowly started to walk away.
"Until next time..." She said as she waved goodbye, bowing her head slightly before she blew a kiss towards him and left the room, leaving him alone.
Fuyōna breathed a sigh of relief now that he was alone, knowing what she was like around him. But now that she was gone, the worry that he had hidden so well behind a confident façade came to light.
He couldn't help but wonder if this was how his predaceous had felt during their rule when faced with war and the potential death of hundreds if not thousands of their men.
"How has it come to this?" Fuyōna said to himself again as he sat back down, doing his best to try and remain calm.
It was very likely that the mist would be the main target of this war by the other nations, putting them at the forefront of the war. Worries and doubts started to flood his mind, causing him to twitch as the potential for everything he had worked so hard to build could come crashing down around him.
"No... I won't allow that to happen. I will do everything in my power to make sure of it." He said as he stood back to his full height.
"I don't have time to waste, I had better get to work." He then said as he raised his hand and formed the hand signs for an ice mirror to form, knowing he had work to get done.
The next week was extremely busy, not just for Fuyōna but for the entire village. The guard details were increased tenfold, along with patrols of and around the village's borders, as well as the land of water.
Anyone and everyone who was not on an A ranks or above level mission had also been recalled to the village, other than those in the recon units, in charge of gaining as much intel on the other nations' movements as possible.
Thankfully Ao had returned unharmed to the village, having been successful on his mission to gain intel on the meeting between the other Kage. Of course, thanks to his byakugan, he had been able to spy on their meeting from many miles away, giving him great insight as to what was transpiring.
However, the risk and efforts involved in the mission had soon been in vain as the official war decree had been released anyway. Once Ao had returned to the village he had reported to Fuyōna first, giving him all of the details he had gathered, seeming to confirm his suspicions about who was at the center of all of this.
"That's right... The Kazekage was the one who organized the meeting between the Tsuchikage, and the Raikage. The leaders from some of the smaller villages were also there, including the waterfall and grass." Ao said.
"From what we could gather, the Kazekage was the Instigator of it all, seeming to sway the others of your growing and uncontrollable strength. The Raikage was also quick to agree, having already seen your display of power in battle first hand." Ao said as he continued to speak.
"And what of the Tsuchikage?" Mei asked as she listened intently with her arms crossed over her chest.
"At first he didn't seem interested in a war... But once he learned of the alliance between us and the leaf, that soon changed. From what we can gather, the three of them are neither allies nor enemies. Simply put, they share a common enemy in us and wish to take us down a peg or two before we grow too strong for them to handle alone." Ao said.
"And what of the Hokage's response, Mei. Have we received one yet?" Fuyōna asked.
"No... I'm afraid not." Mei said, knowing things were not looking good.
"What if the leaf refuses to help us out? I doubt we can take on three other nations alone." Mangetsu said, speaking up from his seat.
Fuyōna had summoned his closest allies and strongest genres to this meeting, knowing that it would be their power that he would need to rely on if things went south.
Mei, Ao, Mangetsu, Kaga, Ganryu, Kogetsu, and the head of each Anbu unit were all present for this small meeting, meaning that the strongest members of the village were all gathered in one spot.
Mei was at Kage level herself and next in line for Kage in Fuyōna's eyes. Ao, with his byakugan and high intelligence, had proved time and time again just how much of an asset he was to the village and Fuyōna himself.
Mangetsu, also known as the second coming of the demon and currently the head of the seven ninja swordsmen, having mastered each of the blades, and most likely the second strongest person in the village after Fuyōna.
Kaga who had been a member of Fuyōna's squad of Anbu for years, eventually helped him overthrow Yagura and become an elite jonin ninja to who he had entrusted his adopted children, Kimimaro and Haku as their sensei. He was as high a level jonin one could get to, and Fuyōna trusted him with his life.
Then there was Ganryu. He was a member of Suiren's original squad and had become an expert swordsman over his time serving with Fuyōna, even having taken up the mantel of wielding the Shibuki ( Paper bomb sword.) and becoming one of the new seven ninja swordsmen under Mangetsu.
Last, there was Kogetsu Hozuki. He is the cousin of Mangetsu and next in line for the head of the Hozuki clan. He was currently the head of Fuyōna's personal Anbu guard and was in training under Mangetsu to wield one of the remaining swords of the seven.
Alongside the other Anbu captains, all of who were strong and elite level shinobi, this made up the main command structure of the hidden mist, more so as the main generals of the mists forces. If any of them were to fall in battle, it would be a major loss to Fuyōna's military might, something he knew all too well.
"I have no intention of us meeting any of the other nations in a head-to-head battle. We are an island nation and we will play to our strengths. If the leaf refuses to help us we will have no choice other than to take the defensive for the time being." Fuyōna said.
"I agree," Ganryu said as he looked at the large map that was spread out across the war table before them.
"It will be a huge problem for the other nations to transport any form of siege equipment across the sea, giving us a huge advantage in the forefront of battle. As long as we play to our strengths." He added.
"We can expect smaller units to try and make their way into our lands, most likely resorting to guerrilla tactics," Ao said.
"Playing on the defensive is all well and good, but what are we to do once our food and money run out?" Mei suddenly said.
"What will we do when our citizens can no longer be fed, when trade stops due to the constant assault on our caravans and trade routes. Simply going on the defensive isn't enough." She said, making a valid point.
"What are you suggesting Mei? That we march out and fight on the enemies terms?" Ao said, sounding a little harsher than he intended to.
"No, I'm not saying that at all. She said, trying her best to avoid an argument.
"We should use more chunin and genin to fight on the front lines as we did during the last war." Mangetsu suddenly said with a menacing smile appearing on his face.
"No, that is not something I will resort to," Fuyōna said, nipping that idea in the bud.
Mangetsu simply shrugged his shoulders as he laughed it off, saying he was only joking before he went quiet again.
"If it comes to that, we might not have a choice." Ao suddenly said, seeming to agree with Mangetsu in some way.
"I will not send mere children to their deaths for no reason," Fuyōna said, trying not to let the idea get him angry.
"In times of war, we don't always have a choice what we do." Ao simply said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Besides... This generation was going soft anyway, a little experience on the front lines could be good for developing their abelites as shinobi." He added.
Kogetsu remained quiet as he was not sure what to say, however, he could see that the atmosphere was growing tense due to the topic of conversation.
Fuyōna was about to get angry now, doing his best to avoid snapping at the idea when suddenly a messenger entered the room, saving him from doing so.
"Sorry to bother you sir, but you told me to inform you when we received a response from the Hokage of the leaf.
Fuyōna nodded and waved him over so he could give him the scroll, opening it to read before he dismissed the messenger.
"So what do they say?" Mangetsu said, speaking up again as he wanted to know.
Fuyōna placed the scroll on the table, where Mei quickly picked it up to read for herself.
"It would seem that the Hokage has decided to honor our alliance and fight by our side," Fuyōna said not seeming as happy as he should do.
Something that Ao picked up on.
"But..." He asked.
"But, the stone and sand have already deployed a large force on the edge of the land of fire... And the leaf is asking for imitating back up from our forces." Mei said, having read the rest of the message.
Ao quickly took the scroll so he could see for himself, quickly putting it down once he was finished and turning his attention to the war map.
"If the report is correct, then the Stone have already started to carve a path through the hidden grass, as they did during the last war," Ao said as he marked it on the map.
"The sand has set up siege weapons on the edge of the land of fire, and the intel suggests they are planning to make a B line towards the hidden leaf to launch a direct assault," Ao added and he placed another marker on the map.
"And what of the cloud?" Ganryu asked, remembering their last encounter.
"Nothing had been reported of their movements of yet, including our own intel," Fuyōna said, knowing that they had yet to make a move.
"Very well. I guess we have no choice. We must go to the leaf's aid and send two units to battle on the front lines." Fuyōna said as he stood up, knowing that things were about to get complicated.
"I want two units ready to move within the next 24 hours," Fuyōna said as he gave the order.
"Yes sir." The others in the room said, quickly snapping to attention as Fuyōna grew serious.
"Move out."
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Alright thats the end of this chapter! Again I hope you enjoyed it.
Things are about to heat up real quickly so make sure you are ready for it! Until next time.
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